Container and reclosure



.June 15, 1937. J. M. HoTHERsALL 053,555

` I CONTAINER AND REcLlosURE Filed April 24,' 19:51

7- VENTOR Patented June 15, 1937 CONTAINER AND RECLOSURE John M. Hothersall, Brooklyn, N. Y.; assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April `24, 1931, Serial No. 532,425

3 Claims.

provision of a reclosure cover for use with an opened container and subsequent containers of the same size and shape and having a dispensing opening therein and a closing element associated therewith for opening and closing the dispensing opening.

This container is intended for packaging cigarettes, more particularly the packaging of vacuumized cigarettes. A primary object is to provide a reclosure of substantial construction and neat appearance which can be sold or given away by tobacco stores to customers and which the customer can reuse on a number of subsequent cigarette packages. Of course the container is adapted for other purposes.`

Numerous other objects of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawingz- Figure. 1 is a perspective view of a, sealed container with a tearing strip and key for opening, this container exemplifying a part of the present invention;

1` of lthe opened container wlthits reclosure cover in assembled position and taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

In the drawing there is disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, a container II having a body wall I2., 'a top I3 and a bottom -I4, the top and bottom being hermetically secured to the body, preferably bydouble seams. A bead I5 is formed integrally with and projects slightly beyond the body wall I2 some distance below the top I3 and score (ci. 22o- 54) lines I6 are formed in the body wall I2 inter-4 mediate the top I3 and the` bead I5 defining a removable tearing strip which terminates in a tongue I1. A key I'8having a slot I9 is provided and is adapted to engage the tongue I1 for removal of the tearing strip and for opening of the container. A key accompanies each container and may be spotwelded at 2-I to the top or secured to it in other suitable manner, a weakened line 22 being preferably provided to permit breaking oir of the key from vits welded part, as shown ,in Fig. 2.

To open the container I I, the key I8 is applied to the tearing strip tongue by slipping it into the slot I9 of the key. The key is then revolved in the usual and well known manner and winds the tearing strip on its shank. This tears the strip away from the body wall I2 and separates a portion of the wall and the top container'leaving an end open.

The bead I5 is located a distance beneath the lower score line I6 and the portion of the body wall I2 above the bead I5 remaining after the removal of the tearing strip is adapted to receive an interchangeable reclosure cover generallyr designated by the numeral 25. This cover 25 is substantially thev same shape as the container body II and may be repeatedly used with more *han one container as a dispensing instrumentality. This instrumentality controls the dispensing of the container contents, the container when empty A being discarded and the cover then used for subsequent containers. The cover 25 is provided with a top wall 26 from which vertical side walls 21 depend, which terminate in an annular curl 28. The vertical walls 21 are adapted to frictionaliy fit over the body I2, above the bead I5, forming in effect a slip cover, the curl 28 engaging the bead I5 (Fig. 4) to limit the engaged position of the cover on the body wail.

A dispensing opening 3l is cut in one end of the top wall 26 and a supplemental element or auxiliary cover member 32 is slidably positioned on the wall and is adapted to be moved to open and close the opening. Lugs 33, 34 are struck out from the top wall 26 and are bent over to form guides for the sliding element 32 and to keep it in proper alignment on the cover 25.

Thessliding element or auxiliary cover 32 is formed with a reduced part 35 which terminates in a curl 36 the junction of the wide and narrow parts providing a shoulder 31 on each side of the reduced part.v This shape o! slide affords stops for both open and closed positions. the curl 36 strikingv against one side of vthe lugs 34 to limit movement of the slide into closed position, and the shoulders 31 engaging the opposite side of the lugs 34 to limit movement into its open position. The curl 36 is of sumcient 5 size to be comfortably engaged by the iinger tips of the user when operating the slide 32. When the contents of the container Il have been exhausted the cover 25 may be removed and applied to other, subsequently. used, iilled and opened containers.

I thus-obtain the advantages of an air-tight can after it is filled, and of a dispensing can after it has been opened, the structure of the invention being such that the purchaser can readily make the conversion.

It is thought that the invention and'many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the yforegoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A reclosure cover for sealed tearing strip containers, comprising a top wall and depending vertical friction walls terminating in a reenforced peripheral bead, said top wall having a dispensing opening and an auxiliary cover member slidably mounted thereon, said auxiliary cover being reciprocable to conceal and expose said opening and slidably secured to said top wall by means of spaced lugs on said top wall extending inwardly over opposite margins of said auxiliary cover member, whereby said reclosure cover is adapted to frictionally and removably engage the body walls of the sealed container after the tearing strip is removed and the original cover discarded, the sliding auxiliary cover member permitting gradual dispensing of the container contents and the removable frictlonal engagement of said vertical walls with the opened container permitting use of said reclosure cover with other sealed containers after the latter have been opened.

2. A reclosure slip cover for sealed tearing strip containers, comprising a top wall and depending side and end walls formed integrally w therewith terminating in a reenforced outwardly curled continuous peripheral bead, said top Wall having'a dispensingopening adjacent one end thereof, and an elongated auxiliary cover member slidably mounted on the top wall and reciprocable to conceal and expose said opening, said auxiliary cover member being slidably secured to said top wall by means of spaced lugs formed integrally with and struck outwardly from said top wall and extending inwardly over opposite margins of said auxiliary cover member, whereby said reclosure cover is adapted to frictionally and removably engage the body walls of the sealed container after the tearing strip is removed and the original cover discarded, the sliding auxiliary cover member permitting gradual dispensing of the container contents and the removable frictional engagement of said vertical walls with the opened container permitting use of said reclosure cover with other sealed containers after the latter have been opened.

3. A reclosure slip cover for sealed tearing strip containers, comprising a top wall and depending side and end walls formed integrally therewith terminating in a reenforced outwardly curled continuous peripheral bead, said top wall having a dispensing opening adjacent one end thereof, and an elongated auxiliary cover member slidably mounted on the top Wall and reciprocable to conceal and expose said opening, said auxiliary cover member having an intermediate transverse shoulder and an integral curl at one end thereof, said auxiliary cover being slidably secured to said top wall by means of spaced lugs formed integrally with and struck outwardly from said top wall and extending inwardly over opposite margins of said aux--V iliary cover member, one of said spaced lugs being engageable with said shoulder and said curl respectively to limit sliding movement of said auxiliary cover to open and closed positions. whereby said reclosure cover is adapted to frictionally and removably engage the body Walls of the sealed container after the tearing strip v is removed and the original cover discarded, th'e Asliding auxiliary cover member permitting gradual dispensing of the container contents and the removable frictional engagement of said vertical walls with the opened container permitting use of said reclosure cover with other sealed containers after the latter have been opened.

JOHN M. HOTHIEIRSALL. 

